Three Delicious Ways to Update Three Childhood Standbys
Emotional connections to food run deeply within all of us—that's why comfort foods often spring from dishes we enjoyed at our family tables. And when we menu comfort foods, we often pull from childhood favourites. To make our renditions craveable, we need to root the recipes in familiar profiles, but update them with a grown-up sensibility. Our chefs at the Kraft Culinary Centre did just that, offering up three modern takes on three childhood staples—grilled cheese, salads (making them fun, really!) and desserts made with OREO.
Grown-Up Grilled Cheese
Nothing packages nostalgia and comfort food quite like the well-loved grilled cheese sandwich. Beautifully customizable and easily recognizable, it gives you the opportunity for creative innovation while staying in the realm of classic and familiar. Our chefs take the iconic grilled cheese and update it for three distinct foodservice segments—family casual, business & industry and upscale dining.
Cuban Chicken Grilled Cheese (Family Casual)
Menu solutions—bar food; lunch menus; dinner menus
Other profile—make mini grilled cheeses and call them bocadillos
"This recipe hits the hot trend of Cuban sandwiches, but pulls from what's already in your pantry," says Joseph Barin, corporate chef at Kraft Foodservice. Our chefs replace the traditional roast pork with rotisserie chicken, then build it out with the classic ham, Kraft Swiss Slice and pickles. They replace mustard with the creamy Kraft Dijon Bistro Sauce.
Sweet-Heat Chicken Grilled Cheese & Chicken (B&I)
Menu solutions—bar food; lunch menus; dinner menus
Other use for spread—use as a glaze on grilled chicken or pork
This is a delicious, simple sandwich that again utilizes ingredients on hand. For a satisfying grilled-bread profile, our chefs spray the grill with non-stick spray, crisping the multigrain bread nicely. Grilled chicken and fresh spinach contribute to its wholesome profile and Kraft Shredded Cheddar/Monterey Jack Blend Cheese introduces that wonderful mouthfeel diners expect from a grilled cheese. For both added flavour and texture, our chefs spread the bread with a blend of apricot jam, Kraft Calorie-Wise Miracle Whip,¹ chipotle and Dijon mustard.
Steak & Bleu Grilled Cheese with Poached Pear Salad (Upscale)
Menu solutions—bar food; lunch menus; dinner menus
Other idea—instead of blue cheese in the sandwich, offer blue-cheese dressing as a dipping sauce
This grilled cheese oozes with sophistication and bold flavours. Our chefs crust filet mignon with Montreal seasoning. Its citrus and coriander notes play beautifully off the rye bread. Cracker Barrel Mild Cheddar Slice adds cheesy mouthfeel while the blue cheese brings in sharp notes, but still melts out on the sandwich. Kraft Calorie-Wise Mayo Real Mayonnaise and Dijon mustard round out the profile.
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Eat Your Greens
Salads may not be a childhood favourite, but "eat your greens" is a common thread throughout our younger years. Diners today steer their own wholesome-eating choices, looking for goodness, but demanding great flavour experience, too. Our chefs were challenged with the task of making three fun, grown-up salads, and they succeeded beautifully.
Hand-Held Italian Chopped Salad (Shareable)
Menu solutions—bar food; appetizer; lunch menus
Other profile—wrap Caesar salad and Parmesan in rice paper and add a dipping sauce of Caesar dressing
These rolls take the best of the popular Italian chopped salad—lettuce, salami, pepperoni, green pepper and bacon—and package it into a hand-held profile. A dipping sauce of Kraft Signature Greek Feta & Oregano adds a bright Mediterranean touch and a fun, interactive element.
Barbecue Ranch Salad with Chili-Lime Chicken & Grilled Pineapple (Bold Flavour)
Menu solutions—bar food; appetizer; lunch menus
Other protein—switch out marinated chicken with marinated shrimp
Your customers know they need to eat their greens, but they hanker for bolder flavours than when they were young. This recipe gives it to them: Grilled chicken marinated in Kraft Calorie-Wise Zesty Italian Dressing, lime juice and lime zest; crisp salad tossed in Pure Kraft Barbecue Ranch Dressing; and a flourish of grilled pineapple.
Caesar-Seafood Pasta Salad (Upscale)
Menu solutions—bar food; appetizer; lunch menus
Other protein—switch out the seafood with grilled chicken
This recipe gives your lunch menu a bit of a twist while still capitalizing on Caesar's popularity. Our chefs developed it hoping to hit a lot of touch points for your customers—seafood continues to be a mega trend, Caesar anything is a perennial favourite and pasta salads are great summer lunch entrées.
Three Grown Up Ways to Eat OREO: Fork, Straw, Spoon
Consumers never outgrow OREO Cookies. The challenge is tempting grown-ups with their childhood favourites while delivering a more sophisticated experience. Our resident OREO guru, Patty Mitchell, C.M.B., (whose official title is senior executive chef at Kraft Foodservice) dedicated herself to this task. She developed OREO desserts three ways: spoonable, forkable and drinkable—all of them hit that sweet spot diners love.
Triple-Layer Mud Pie Made with OREO (Forkable)
Menu solutions—dessert menus; catering
Other profiles—use 3-inch pastry rings for individual desserts; add a layer of fudge to the pie
"This is a grown-up version of ice-cream pies," says Chef Mitchell. "Chocolate and coffee go well together. Add OREO and increase the appeal tenfold." Our chefs layer coffee ice cream over a pie crust made with OREO, then add a layer of chocolate ice cream, OREO Pieces and whipped cream.
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry-OREO Shake (Drinkable)
Menu solutions—dessert menus; catering; late-night menus
Other milkshake profiles—add banana to the shake mix; add chocolate sauce to the shake mix
These mini shakes steal the show, yet are easy on the line. Our chefs spoon strawberry sauce into the bottom of the glass and freeze for 15 minutes. They then add a milkshake mix made with vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce and OREO. As a nod to the childhood favourite of OREO Cookies with milk, they balance the shot glass over a single, perfect OREO.
Chocolate-Hazelnut Mousse & Banana Mini Pudding Parfaits (Spoonable)
Menu solutions—dessert menus; catering; late-night menus
Our chefs layer chocolate mousse in a glass, then sit a rich, chocolaty OREO Brownie atop, and add a dollop of coffee mousse. For each mousse, they rely on Philly for its creaminess, adding heavy cream and Jell-O Instant Pudding for a thick, velvety mouthfeel. For the coffee mousse, they add strongly brewed Gevalia Kaffe Dark Roast for its deep, rich flavour.
¹ Kraft Calorie-wise Mayo Real Mayonnaise contains 55% less calories than our regular mayonnaise.